Trulieve On Employee's Death: 'We Have Demonstrated A Safe And Healthy Work Environment'

Cannabis company Trulieve Cannabis TCNNF released official statements on an incident that happened at one of its facilities in January when a company employee died.

Trulieve expressed condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Lorna McMurrey, the 27-year-old who died at the company's Holyoke, Massachusetts-based cultivation facility. “The safety of our team members is vital to us and we value all 9,000 employees who make Trulieve a family,” spokesperson Rob Kremer said, while also clarifying inaccurate information from other media outlets.

The statement came about a week after McMurrey’s family opened up to a local NBC station in an effort of preventing similar tragedies.

Confronting the reported details about the incident, the Florida-based company issued the following statements:

• On the subject of air quality, the company noted that its Holoyke facility had operating industrial air handling systems, and a special industrial air filtration system certified by an independent engineer. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) meticulously investigated the Holyoke facility confirming that the air quality complied with relevant standards. 
• On the subject of personal protective equipment (PPE), Trulieve stated it has provided N95 masks to employees, denying reports stating it offered only paper masks. On the day of the incident, McMurrey wore an N95 mask for at least a portion of the day. 
• Regarding the events that happened, the company said that McMurrey was working in the pre-roll area, dismissing claims that she was in the flower grinding room on the day of the incident. 
• The company also said that trained members of its security team provided CPR until EMS personnel arrived. 
• Trulieve highlighted that it regularly provides certification training sessions in first aid and the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for managers, security, and supervisors and that all three employees who administered CPR to McMurrey had a full certification CPR training session of less than one month prior to the incident. 

So far, the only official document in the case is the OSHA report, which states the case is still open and the content is subject to change. According to the report, Trulieve committed three “serious” violations assessed by OSHA for which it paid fines totaling $35,219.

The company confirmed OSHA issued its fines under the “hazard communication standard,” which Trulieve is contesting. It added though that it is open to “good ideas about any improvements that are necessary.”

Previous Violations

This is not the first time that OSHA has issued penalties against Trulieve over alleged regulatory violations at its cultivation facilities, according to TheShoeString. In March, Trulieve settled an OSHA case in Pennsylvania, where it was accused of violating a regulation demanding businesses to report involving in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye in the case of employees and workers.

OSHA also cited the company two years ago for violating respiratory protection and hazard communication regulations at its cultivation facility in Quincy, Florida.

“We believe we have demonstrated a safe and healthy work environment, but we will of course work with OSHA and the Massachusetts CCC to address their concerns. We want our employees to know they are safe and protected,” Trulieve stated. 

Photo: Courtesy of Kindel Media by Pexels